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The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership and Van Alen Institute selected Ziggy as the winning entry for the sixth annual Flatiron Public Plaza Holiday Design Competition. The project was open to the public from November 15, 2019 to January 1, 2020.

Ziggy celebrates the holiday season with vibrant hues and playful gestures. Located between Broadway, 5th Ave and 23rd Street, the project softly ricochets between the narrow bounds of its triangular site, effectively echoing the urban and architectural context while establishing a broad structural footprint.

A collection of apertures and thresholds frame views of the Flatiron District’s many attractions and landmarks while also welcoming visitors and allowing for a steady stream of locals to pass by unimpeded. For those seeking a moment of respite, the design is accentuated by several “gateways” which have been upended to serve as benches.

The thin linear elements that define Ziggy’s porous composition are lightweight, visually transparent and impervious to wind. As one encounters the piece, its 27,000 feet of iridescent cord visually converges and dynamically filters the surrounding context with shifting colors, patterns and light. Ziggy is a kaleidoscopic beacon, designed for the people of New York.

Thanks to our collaborators, the engineers at Schlaich Bergermann Partner as well as A05 Studio, who fabricated the steel structure.

Until the end of April 2020, anyone passing through Place des fleurs-de-Macadam on the corner of Mont-Royal Avenue and Boyer Street will be able to look up and see élément, an art installation designed by Stéphanie Leduc and Manuel Baumann that radiates warm, organic light and produces an illusion of heat.

A fusion of art, light, and technology, élément is inspired by the incandescence of a light bulb filament. Its flickering is intended to evoke the intensity of the current that flows from one person to another. Every one of us is a marvellous living machine, brimming with energy that we harness to create, dream, share, and receive. In the end, we are but a sum of electrons connected by an invisible guiding thread that is integral to our very essence: the human connection. In fact, this connection is at the heart of every event and artistic project featured on Mont-Royal Avenue.

“Even though designing and installing élément came with a few challenges, we wanted to create a simple, universally understood artwork that evokes the warm light of an incandescent light bulb,” said Stéphanie Leduc. “In the spirit of conserving energy, it was important that the installation consume about the same amount of power as the lighting that is usually set up to illuminate this small space at night,” she added.

élément is delicate, linear, vibrant, and glows with a beautiful, red and amber light. The art installation is suspended in the air, symbolizing the profound belief that the human connection is vital to us in the same way air, water, earth, and fire is.

Credits

Project: élément Location: Place des fleurs-de-Macadam, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montréal, Québec Size: 32 m x 3 m, suspension 9 m Co-design: EN TEMPS ET LIEU and Odace Événements Manufacturing: Softbox Intégration Production: Société de développement de l’Avenue du Mont-Royal Year of completion: 2020 Photographer: Jean-François Lamoureux

From 17 January to 22 March 2020 the Kunsthaus Zürich presents a major solo exhibition by Olafur Eliasson. At its centre is a new, space-filling installation that addresses a key issue of our times: the relationship and interplay between human and non-human actors on Earth. The exhibition is exclusive to the Kunsthaus Zürich.

Image above: Escaped light landscape, 2020 Spotlight, halogen bulb, LED light, tripod, lenses, colour-effect filter glass (cyan, orange, blue), concave glass mirror, aluminium, brass, plastic, motors, control unit Dimensions variable Installation view: Symbiotic seeing, Kunsthaus Zürich, 2020 Photo: Alcuin Stevenson / Studio Olafur Eliasson Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2020 Olafur Eliasson

Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967) is one of the most important artists working today. In a new, atmospherically dense installation developed specifically for the exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zürich that extends over more than 1,000m2, the DanishIcelandic artist speaks directly to the viewer’s senses. The central installation is accompanied by new sculptures and light works.

Olafur Eliasson Weather orb, 2020 Stainless steel, polarisation filters, plastic, paint (black, white), LED system Diameter 120 cm Installation view: Kunsthaus Zürich, 2020 Photo: Franca Candrian Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2020 Olafur Eliasson

SYMBIOSIS – A NEW FORM OF COEXISTENCE

Developed in close dialogue between Eliasson and curator Mirjam Varadinis, ‘Symbiotic seeing’ tackles themes such as coexistence and symbiosis and aims to achieve a fundamental shift of perspective. Eliasson invites us not only to reflect on climate change – as a consequence of human action – but also to comprehend the human being as part of a larger system. He sets out to critically interrogate the relationship and hierarchy between humans and other species on Earth, and create space for other ways of living together. He successfully translates these complex theoretical deliberations into spatial situations that not only appeal to people rationally but also touch them emotionally and move them physically.

Olafur Eliasson Weather orb, 2020 Stainless steel, polarisation filters, plastic, paint (black, white), LED system Diameter 120 cm Installation view: Kunsthaus Zürich, 2020 Photo: Franca Candrian Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2020 Olafur Eliasson

NEW INSTALLATION

In the central work ‘Symbiotic seeing’, tiny whirls, currents and eddies form above visitors’ heads, as the mist reacts to the body heat and movements of the people standing beneath. Audio accompaniment comes from a specially composed sound score by Hildur Gudnadottir played live on a cello by a robotic arm – a gesture towards artificial intelligence and the creation of non-organic substitutes for humanity that will be new actors shaping our future. ‘Symbiotic seeing’ creates space for reflection and sharing: #symbioticseeing.

Olafur Eliasson Photo: Franca Candrian © 2020 Olafur Eliasson

AN ARTIST IN DIALOGUE

Olafur Eliasson is a socially and environmentally committed artist who engages in dialogue with politicians and NGOs. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for climate action by the UN in September 2019. Eliasson is convinced that the language of art has the potential to get people moving. He is known for spacefilling works that prompt audiences to reflect on themselves and the world as they experience them. From his studio in Berlin, Eliasson has been working since the mid-1990s with a large team of specialists in fields spanning design, architecture, research and multimedia. In addition to the teams and workshops, the studio has its own kitchen in which meals are taken communally.

Olafur Eliasson Algae window, 2020 Glass spheres, steel, aluminium, plastic, paint (black) 380 x 350 x 80 cm Installation view: Kunsthaus Zürich, 2020 Photo: Franca Candrian Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2020 Olafur Eliasson

PUBLICATIONS

Exhibition catalogue

‘Olafur Eliasson: Symbiotic Seeing’ (Snoeck-Verlag, 160 pages, CHF 39) offers an insight into the development of the exhibition and brings together texts that served as inspiration for both the concept and the new works. Authors include the art historian Caroline A. Jones, feminist and historian of the natural sciences Donna J. Haraway, evolutionary theorist and biologist Lynn Margulis, and the philosopher Timothy Morton. There is also an interview in which curator Mirjam Varadinis and Olafur Eliasson share thoughts. The publication, in German and English, is available from the Kunsthaus shop. From mid-February it will be complemented by a photo documentary element that has still to be completed.

Installation view of: Olafur Eliasson: Symbiotic seeing, Kunsthaus Zürich, 2020 Photo: Franca Candrian Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles © 2020 Olafur Eliasson

Digitorial

What lies behind the art of Olafur Eliasson? How does he work, and how does his work touch us? The exhibition is accompanied by an online digitorial, available at eliasson.kunsthaus.ch, containing information and background on Eliasson and his work – ideal preparation for those new to the artist and keen to visit the show.

Research wall Installation view: Kunsthaus Zürich, 2020 Photo: Franca Candrian © 2020 Olafur Eliasson

EVENTS

‘Black Out’: on 23 January and 6 February, open until 11 p.m. Some years ago, Olafur Eliasson launched the ‘Little Sun’ project, an initiative that uses small, solar-powered lamps in the form of a flower to bring light to parts of the world that have no, or only irregular, access to electricity. The two ‘Black Out’ events accompanying the exhibition illustrate what that means. The electric lighting in the museum will be turned off and visitors will be able to visit part of the Kunsthaus Collection in the dark, equipped only with ‘Little Sun’ lamps. Part of the proceeds of this action will go to the Little Sun project.

The new Holocaust monument LEVENSLICHT in collaboration with National Committee for 4 and 5 May remembers the 104,000 Dutch Holocaust victims with 104,000 specially developed luminescent stones, and encourages participation across 170 municipalities.

This year it will be 75 years ago that the international symbol of the Holocaust, concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz, was liberated. Artist Daan Roosegaarde was asked to create a special national work of art for this occasion.

The Jewish custom is to place stones to honour the deceased, not flowers. Artist Daan Roosegaarde and his team of designers have used this as an inspiration for LEVENSLICHT. By using invisible ultraviolet light, the specially developed stones with fluorescent pigments can light up every few seconds, like a breath of light. The artwork with 104,000 luminescent stones are exhibited on 16 January in Rotterdam, and then travel to 170 municipalities with a Holocaust history in the Netherlands.

LEVENSLICHT (Light of Life) makes people aware of the consequences that the Holocaust has had in many Dutch municipalities. Daan Roosegaarde: “It is an honor to be asked for this project. LEVENSLICHT is not a traditional static monument in which people are purely observers; it asks social participation. Light is life, light is hope: LEVENSLICHT.”

Gerdi Verbeet, chairman of the National Committee for 4 and 5 May: “This work of art, which can be seen in many Dutch municipalities affected by the Holocaust, makes the emptiness and lack of this large group tangible in those municipalities where compatriots were murdered during the war, purely and simply for who they were.”

LEVENSLICHT provides a public place for contemplation about the Holocaust and the broader importance of freedom.

Specifications: 104,000 specially developed light emitting memorial rocks with light pillars and custom software. Public opening by Gerdi Verbeet, Daan Roosegaarde, Mayor of Rotterdam Aboutaleb and Secretary of State Paul Blokhuis on 16 January 2020, 19.25 at Eva Cohen-Hartogkade in Rotterdam, NL. After the opening in Rotterdam, LEVENSLICHT will be shared across 170 Dutch municipalities (full list), where it can be seen from January 22 to February 2.

Clients: National Committee for 4 and 5 May

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann will host two Prada pop-ups showcasing the brand’s women’s and men’s spring-summer collections from 14th January to 10th February 2020.

There will also be 15 original, nature-inspired display windows. Marrying reality and imagination, these displays will be set against a background of backlit wall coverings.

This nature-inspired imagery (branches and enlarged leaves of Alocasia, Monstera, ferns or fig trees) will feature green or yellow neon Prada triangles, a detail that will be found on the floors and display cases decorated with contrasting coloured giant leaf designs in green, yellow, orange and pink.

In line with this concept, the women’s pop-up will be in the form of a forest pavilion comprised of green painted metal nets and neon lights on a green carpet of approximately 77 square metres in size.

The men’s pop-up will also have painted metal nets and neon signs that compose a baobab tree, decorated with three Prada triangles.

Display cases and tables in the shape of gigantic leaves, along with a backlit wall with green cases, clothing stands and carpet all reflecting the nature theme complete the hyper realist setting.

The total surface measures approximately 44 square metres.

1.78 Beverly Hills, a sculpture in Janet Echelman’s Earthtime Series, was installed in August, 2019 between the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Beverly Gardens Park as part of the city’s annual BOLD Summer festival.

Titled “1.78,” the sculpture is a contemplation about the interconnectedness of all of us – human beings and the natural world. The form of the artwork is inspired by a scientific data set that records the interconnection of a shift in time of the earth’s rotation (the length of a single day) and the surface of the ocean. Echelman was contemplating the fact that our earth’s rotation is not fixed, so our system of measuring time cannot be fixed either. In this constantly shifting reality, there are a myriad of other earth systems that are constantly changing, and our human actions are interwoven into this complex network.

“I feel a need to find moments of contemplation in the midst of daily city life,” Echelman said. “If my art can create an opportunity to contemplate the larger cycles of time and remind us to listen to our inner selves, I believe this could be transformative.”

The monumental floating form of 1.78 is composed of layers of fiber, braided and knotted together in vibrant hues that pulse with changing wind and weather to create a choreography of undulating color. At night, the sculpture comes to life with projected colored light. Lightweight and flexible, the sculpture is designed to travel to cities around the world as a physical manifestation of the interconnectedness.

To date, the 1.78 sculpture has been installed in Madrid, Spain (2018), Dubai, UAE (2018), and Beverly Hills, CA (2019).

MATERIALS AND SIZE Fiber, Buildings and Sky combined with Colored Lighting. Fibers are braided with nylon and UHMWPE (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) Dimensions of net: 100 ft. length x 45 ft. width x 20 ft. depth

CREDITS Art: Janet Echelman Studio Echelman Project Manager: Melissa Henry Installation Production: Tom McClain Lighting: Chris Medvitz Sculpture Engineering: Arup: Clayton Binkley Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau: Bob Bibeault, Lauren Santillana Photography: Janet Echelman, Brooke Mason, Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau, Brandon Shigeta, Brallan Perez Favela

LOCATION Between the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Beverly Gardens Park, Beverly Hills, CA

Forging Ahead to the Past – Atelier Zébulon Perron’s contemporary interpretation of a bygone era. With lighting by Lambert + Fils.

Atelier Zébulon Perron, an interior design firm focused on forging connections between people and spaces, is proud to unveil the welcoming ambiance of Le Boulevardier restaurant and Le Flâneur Bar Lounge, comprising the food and beverage portion of a major $30 million renovation of Germain Hotels’ flagship property, Le Germain Hotel, in downtown Montreal. The firm’s ensemble of work comprises approximately 8,000sf of symbiotic space, on two separate levels, including a ground floor bar/lounge, a first-floor restaurant, and an alluring staircase to connect the vibrant spaces.

“The lead architect of the hotel renovation chose an Expo ’67 retro theme, in the context of Montreal as an international city welcoming the world,” says Zébulon Perron, the firm’s founder and creative director. “The theme and the building itself provided rich inspirations to draw from, but the challenge was to articulate our interpretation in two separate spaces, and to provide a seamless connection between them.”

In approaching their second collaboration with Germain Hotels, Atelier Zébulon Perron embarked on a contemporary vision of a historic era, rolling back layers of history to reveal some of the building’s original Brutalist architecture. Exposed concrete and other raw materials served as inspirational canvases for a contrasting purity of forms and lines, applied to a minimalist design focused on space planning, modern materials, and luminosity.

Intrigue through design

A core element of the planning process focused on creating a physical and emotional connection between the two thematically symbiotic spaces. In order to foster intrigue, Atelier Zébulon Perron repositioned the hotel’s centrally-located staircase closer to the front desk area, inviting patrons to explore beyond the confines of the lobby. Rising up through the ceiling and anchored from above, the steel structure and hardwood steps of the new staircase are framed in a transparent wall of steel rods, tactically illuminated to make it as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional.

“Social dynamics and the process of facilitating interaction is an important part of our practice,” explains Perron. “In line with that philosophy, we wanted to create something that would be architecturally engaging, but which would also draw attention to the fact that something was happening upstairs.”

Le Flâneur

In addressing the design of a welcoming lobby bar/lounge, the firm focused on creating a space where both local patrons and hotel guests can mingle, work, or simply enjoy a drink. With its relaxed retro feel, wrapped in an unpretentious, contemporary décor, Le Flâneur has achieved that goal. Its welcoming blend of conviviality and elegance, with contrasts of raw concrete and noble materials, creates a balanced warmth designed for people to inhabit, rather than simply admire. Rich, dark woods and marble adorn Le Flâneur’s counters and floors, while strategically-placed dividers provide a contemporary framework for banquettes and chrome cube furnishings that infuse a retro feel into the comfortable setting.

A destination on its own, Le Flâneur’s offering of oysters and champagne bubbles further contributes to intrigue surrounding the space above – Le Boulevardier, the hotel’s new 110-seat restaurant specializing in classic French cuisine, with a contemporary approach.

Le Boulevardier restaurant

The staircase leading from the lobby to the first-floor restaurant bridges a balanced décor, ascending into a space illuminated by an abundance of natural light. Exposed concrete beams rise above the restaurant’s contemporary décor, which mirrors Le Flâneur’s abundant use of dark woods and marble countertops. From the warmth of a retro ambiance where time seemingly stands still, patrons will be mesmerized by a window on the world at their feet, courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows providing magnificent views overlooking the horizons of President Kennedy Avenue and the downtown streets below. The floor-to-ceiling windows also serve as an inward portal to the restaurant for curious passers-by, designed to complement the restaurant’s patronage of hotel guests with an influx of external clients.

While the windows, and the connection that they offer to the downtown streets, expand the horizons exponentially, a strategic gallery of mirrors adorning the ceiling and side walls of the restaurant’s interior further provides the illusion of expanding the space well beyond its actual dimensions.

Under the tutelage of Chef David Pellizzari, Le Boulevardier is an extension of the Le Flâneur vibe and theme of social connectivity. Working in close collaboration with a kitchen consultant, Atelier Zébulon Perron achieved continuity through an open kitchen design that seamlessly blends with the space’s décor and ambiance, while ensuring maximum operational efficiency for the chef and his staff.

An enlightened ambiance

Further illuminating the vision of Atelier Zébulon Perron, intricate lighting design was integrated into architectural planning from the onset. Working closely with Montreal-based lighting studio, Lambert & Fils, the firm designed customized lighting schemes focused on capturing the essence of the spaces through controlled quality, temperature, and modulation. Capitalizing further on elements paying homage to the original brutalist architectural language of the building, a grid concrete ceiling with embedded custom copper lights was developed above the ground level elevators, infusing new life into a dated ambiance and further enticing inward exploration of the vibrant new spaces. The nighttime lighting of Le Boulevardier results in a more intimate, inward ambiance. Natural daytime light gives way to the luminosity of elaborate, modern ceiling systems, further complemented by ground-level retro fixtures that draw patrons back from the external hustle and bustle in order to frame the city from a more observational perspective.

“The spaces capture the essence of the international, retro theme of the hotel renovation, with the added notion of contemporary, non-ostentatious elegance,” sums up Zébulon Perron. “It’s a very relaxed take on elegance, and we are proud to have succeeded in creating an environment that will draw people together in the heart of this great city.”

Technical sheet

Materials: Original concrete, marble, walnut, copper, steel, chrome, leather, velvet. Project Name: Le Boulevardier Restaurant / Le Flâneur Bar Lounge Project Site: Le Germain Hotel Montreal, 2050 Mansfield St., Montréal, Québec H3A 1Y9 Surface area: 8000 sq ft (743 m2) Project type: Lounge, Bar, Restaurant

Design: Atelier Zébulon Perron

Team: Zébulon Perron (Lead designer) Catherine Landry Andréanne Guillemette Anik Mandalian Sabrina Camiré

Photographers: David Boyer Jean Sébastien Senécal

Completion: December 2019